Into the Void

Chapter 6

"Melody," said Nate, hoping he had written down the correct contact number. "It's Nate from the bar the other day. I want to join up."

"That's great. Meet me down at the docks and we can get you signed on as part of the crew. I got the feeling that you were more interested in a date than a job when we last spoke, what changed your mind?" said Melody.

"I've seen enough of the Alliance for a while. Maybe enough for a whole lifetime, it's time a for a change."

Nate put his data tablet on standby and tucked it into a pocket before walking back to the hotel where his family was staying. The station seemed different somehow, all the bright lights and polished floors felt forced, like everyone on the station was trying too hard to convince themselves that everything was fine and that this was a nice place to live. It was early morning and the station was starting to come to life, halls filling with an eclectic mix of people rushing off to menial jobs with long hours and little pay. Walking against the stream he made his way into the hotel and up to the suite they'd been offered. It was quiet, the kind of quiet where he could tell that the hotel was mostly empty, the kind of quiet that always gave him the sense that he was somewhere he didn't belong.

"Oh Nathan, you're okay!" his mother shouted as he stepped into the suite. "We've been so worried about you!"

"Yeah I'm fine Mom, listen, I have some news. I got a job" said Nate walking towards the bed and grabbing his suitcase. He hadn't even bothered to unpack.

"That's good news then" his mother said with a smile. "Is it with the Intelligence Agency? Is that what those soldiers were here for?"

"No," said Nate with a derisive snort. "Those assholes were investigating the attack on Caldania. I found a explorer ship that's looking for pilots, I'm leaving Alliance space for a while."

His mother's smile quickly faded and tears welled in her eyes. "You're going into the uncharted regions?"

"I can't stay here, not anymore."

"You sound just like your grandfather, he did four tours in the Void Corps after fighting in the Construct Rebellions, he could never stay in one place for too long" she took a step forward and wrapped Nate in a bone crushing hug. "Be safe out there son. We'll miss you."

He gathered the few things he'd been able to save from Caldania, some clothes, an old beat up guitar, and a photo of the planet he'd taken from orbit and made his way down to the docks. Melody was waiting for him, she was dressed in a navy t-shirt and cargo shorts, which most likely served as the ships uniform. Most people thought space travel was cold but in reality ships had a hard time venting excess heat, there was no matter for the heat to radiate into in the vacuum of space, and with nowhere else for the waste heat to go ships could get uncomfortably warm.

"Nate," said Melody with a warm smile. "I'm glad you could make it. Follow me on board we'll get you settled in."

Nate nodded and followed Melody through a short airlock and into a short corridor. The corridor was empty and silent, with light beige walls, dark faux wood floors, and soft lighting set into the ceiling. It was a colour scheme shared with the old farmhouse he grew up in, the ship already felt like home. Melody led him into a small room filled with a large square table, four chairs, and a narrow cabinet. She pulled a wide screened data tablet from the cabinet, set it on the table and motioned for him to take a seat.

"First I have to say welcome aboard the Dauntless. Now, I hope you don't mind but I did a little digging into your history after we met." she said, turning on the tablet and typing in a four digit code to unlock the device.

"No, that's fair I suppose. So, is this a job interview? If it is I'm terribly underdressed for it." he said. He was still wearing the same clothes he'd had on the day before, a faded red shirt and a pair of jeans with tears in the knees.